The invention relates to an apparatus for securing a wing to the body of a craft such as an aircraft. Each connecting unit comprises two bearing bolts and a clamping bolt operatively arranged between the wing structure and the aircraft body frame.
Such main connecting devices are known in the art in various modifications. This type of connecting apparatus is primarily used for the supporting of tiltable wings. For example, German Patent Publication (DE-OS) No. 1,531,384 discloses a hinged connection between the fuselage and the tiltable wing of an aircraft. The hinged connection is a combination of two hinging elements movable one within the other. One hinge element is connected to the fuselage. The other hinge element is connected to the aircraft wing. A pin forming a hinging axis and extending crosswise through both hinging elements interconnect these two elements. Using such a main connection for fixed wings is too expensive and unnecessarily increases the material required for the connection and hence its weight. Further, the prior art structure is not at all suitable for a wing, the planking of which is made of fiber compound material since the lamination or the layers forming the wing planking would be delaminated in any event by this type of prior art connecting structure.
German Patent Publication (DE-OS) No. 1,531,393 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,103,663, as well as 3,764,093 disclose connecting structures also suitable for aircrafts with tiltable wings. In the just mentioned prior art the bolt connections are exposed to shearing in but one plane. Additionally, the bolt connections are necessarily so constructed that the wing forces are introduced into the bearings such as the lead-lag bearings, or tilting bearings with a moment taking into account an off-center force application. Such off-center moment necessarily requires a larger dimensioning of the individual structural components, thereby correspondingly increasing the weight thereof.